Bony Frame of the Hand. – on turning over this flap we behold the bony framework of this wonderful organ. This seemed to consist of a number of bones, so exquisitely arranged as to combine the greatest possible degree of flexibility and strength.

Palm of the Hand. – below this is given an elegant, and the same time a true and correct view of the muscular arrangement of the palm of the hand and fingers. Over the wrist to see me annular ligament, that then, tough, strong sheet, which binds the muscular courts and holds them firmly in place us in these anatomical charts have we depicted the perfection of the human hand.

Sometimes you definitely do get the impression that the author is talking much more about the book they are writing, the pictures in the book and absolutely nothing at all related to the topic.  The author could be talking about acne treatment and it would be more relevant than talking about these charts and the 'perfection of the human hand'.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• VIEW OF THE BASE OF THE CRANIUM – Brain Cavity
  
  

  today were moving into a new section looking at the base of the cranium.  In this section the book is referring to a top-down view of the skull.  Illustration is somewhat pale and lacking in details.  Nothing in this particular picture is labeled and in a sense the picture only gives the reader a slight point of reference absent the following detail:

   Brain Cavity.  Here in this remarkable illustration we presented to us one of the most wonderful views the anatomy of this goal, or, in fact, at a part of the human frame.  It is a view of the floor of the cranial cavity on which that curious and mysterious, but sublime organ, the brain, rest.  The marvelous skill and ingenuity therein display, of the complex mechanism surveyed, the beautiful and intricate manner in which the nerves of special scents are so elaborately set forth, the complicated perfusion and exquisite design manifest in the distribution of blood vessels for the nourishment and support of the special organ of reason and intelligence — all claim our closest and undivided attention, and we are unconsciously led to revere the Omniscience of Him who could conceive of such intricate architecture, and perform such delicate, unique and perfect workmanship.  The large opening observed in the floor of the cranial cavity is the foramen magnum, through which the spinal cord, together with the cerebro-spinal nerves, escape.

  In this section we once again have a Nonsecular reference of “Omniscience of Him” referring to the God as Creator that designed the base of the cranium in such elaborate detail and perfection, which was then represented in such a lackluster and drab diagram of the same.    The section doesn’t so much describe or explain the workings of the brain cavity as it describes the authors extreme level of off at the ability of a god to create this device like structure area.

• Blood Vessels
  
  

  Blood-Vessels.  –on the next lap we have a graphic illustration of the internal arrangements of the blood-vessels of the lungs and bronchial tubes.  The pulmonary artery, arising from the right ventricle of the heart, conveys the venous blood to the lungs.  It penetrates the lungs and divides and subdivides into branches, which accompanied the bronchial tubes and terminate in a dense capillary net-work upon the walls of their cells, where the blood undergoes that magical change, giving up its poisonous qualities and becoming revivified and healthful.

  _______________
  Note the use of the word ‘net-work’, obviously an early predecessor to the very common word network.  I found this little nugget of gold to be very interesting as networks are so synonymous in today’s world and speech, and found it very amusing to find an example of the early use of the word before it had truly come together into its modern-day form, which even today is now abbreviated to a more common usage of “net,”  I guess we take the “work” in network for granted these days.

  For more on the entymology of the word Network see http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=network&searchmode=none

• Diseases Caused by Alkaline Waters
  
  

  Diseases Caused by Alkaline Waters. — the symptoms referral to an excess of alkalinity, rising from the presence of these earthy salts in a drinking water, and mainly those of a dyspeptic nature. At first the employment of hard water by persons who are unaccustomed to it produces diarrhea. Which is occasionally serious or even dangerous in its character. But the long continued use of such a drinking fluid is thought to cause habitual constipation, with the heavy training of evils, including piles and liver complaint, which depend upon it. Calculus, or stone in the kidney or in the bladder, which gives rise sometimes to the most horrible agony human beings are ever called upon to endure, is believed to be due, in many instances, to an excess of lime and magnesia salts in the drinking water.

  This section is definitely interesting. And as I read this section, I distinctly heavy memory of watching an old Clint Eastwood movie. Clint Eastwood’s trek across the desert somewhere in the southwest of the United States, and of course the bad guys are chasing him. Clint Eastwood is smart enough to recognize that the water in one pool that he comes to has an alkalinity level far too high to drink. He has a sidekick, who initially attempt to drink the water but Clint Eastwood stops him knowing better. Then the bad guys come by sometime later and drink the water and one of them croak’s. This particular section highlights the fact that you may not die instantly from drinking this water but it can definitely make you very ill in the short-term afterwords, or very ill in a chronic way if you consume this type of water over a long period of time. Plus I’m sure that there is some water that is poisonous right from go. 

  This section also reminds me of a water purification straw that was handed out at a trade show that I attended a few years back. The water purification straw was handed out like personalized pens are handed out at most trade shows, but this was a bit of a outdoorsman tradeshow focusing on hunting tools and guns and stuff like that. I’m under the impression that water purification straw’s or tablets even only work to essentially remove microbes are things that might trigger Montezuma’s revenge, but now I have to wonder if maybe they had the ability to cancel out our alkalinity and balance the pH a bit.